She looked down at the sleeping man. Goodness, he was handsome. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him, but Eternity was known for staying in the background. In fact, most people didn’t even know the group existed. She studied the scruff on his face. It had to be at least a few days old. Daniel, the head of Eternity, hadn’t mentioned anything about losing a man when they’d last spoken, but that was more her brother’s business then hers.
Brushing the unruly hair back from his forehead, she pondered over her mystery man. Did Daniel even know he was missing? Were they looking for him? Hopefully he wasn’t too high up in Eternity. Carrisa bit her lip as a very bad thought hit her. Pease don’t let him be an Elite. Daniel was going to be really pissed if she had just ruined one of his specially trained enforcers.
Slipping her hand down to rest on his chest, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Who he was didn’t matter anymore. What was done was done. Daniel would just have to deal with the change in his rosters. And, if they were very lucky, her mystery man would adjust to his new life quickly. Now she just needed to rest for a while until he woke up.
2
What the hell had he done last night? Michael worked his sleep-addled brain, trying to clear it. A foul taste clung to the back of his tongue, and his head throbbed like he had been out with two hookers and a liter of vodka. Groaning, he rolled his head, trying to get comfortable. His pillow was soft and smelled wonderful, even if the bed was much too hard. He buried his face deep in the warmth and breathed it in. A soft touch brushed his hair back from his face. Apparently, the hookers were still around. He let out a sigh of pleasure and opened his eyes.
An expanse of gold and bronze material filled his vision. Rolling his head slightly, Michael looked up into the amber eyes of the dragon lady. Realization shot through his numb brain, and he cursed as he rolled out of her lap. Scooting back as far from her as he could get, he tucked his hands and face into a corner. Maybe if he didn’t look at her, he could resist the desires she provoked in him. Why the hell had she let him loose? She was a dragon. She should know what kind of response to expect out of a human male.
Michael curled in on himself as he listened to the rustle of her skirt. The tingle of magic washed over his skin, making him want to peek at her. God, what was she doing over there? The rustling came closer, and he held on tightly, praying he could resist the lust he knew was about to slam into him. Any moment now, he was going to turn into a raging beast. Any moment. The hem of her skirt brushed his leg, and he clenched his teeth, waiting.
Cold droplets of water skated over his head and down his neck. The seconds ticked by as she dribbled more of the water over him. Unable to resist the urge any longer, he turned his face upwards, and she squeezed the rest of the water from the cloth into his mouth. God, that tasted good. Not nearly as good as it had coming out of her mouth, but it would definitely do.
The dragon lady reached her hand down and touched him. A tingle of desire rushed through him, but it wasn’t the same, uncontrollable urge he had felt earlier. This he could handle. Grasping one of his hands, she urged him up with a silent touch.
Unfolding from the floor, he let her pull him over to the pool. The thought of water pushed all other desires from his mind, and he fell to it, drinking greedily.
Once he had had his fill of the water, he pulled out a great handful and scrubbed it into the skin of his face. Oh, it felt good to be somewhat clean again. A soft cloth rubbed against his hand. He took it up and dried his face on it. Opening up his now-dry eyes, he found the piece of cloth was one of the layers of underskirt on the dragon lady’s dress. The real shocker came when he realized that she was still wearing it. He dropped the material as if it had burned him and backed away from her. Now that his need for water was taken care of, he could feel the need for her rising in him again.
“I’m sorry,” Michael apologized. “I didn’t know that was your skirt. I would never have touched it if I had.” His mouth kicked into overdrive, and he prattled on about the water and the faux pas of using her skirt as a towel, trying to keep his mind off where it really wanted to go.
Amusement burned in her amber eyes, and she leaned forwards to touch his shoulder.
His words froze on his lips as she looked into his eyes. Letting out a deep sigh, Michael closed his eyes and scrubbed his hand through his hair. He shouldn’t let her affect him like this. He was an Elite, damn it! He worked with dragons every day! Taking a deep breath, he centered himself before meeting her eyes again.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized again, this time much more controlled. “It’s been a long week.” He smiled weakly at her, holding out his hand. “I’m Michael, by the way.”
She gave him an understanding smile that stole his breath and shot heat straight to his groin. Taking his outstretched hand, she pulled him to his feet. Her hand felt so good in his, but he resisted the urge to pull her into his arms.
“Thank you.” He let himself reach out and touch her shoulder in gratitude. “For everything.”
Reaching up, she touched his cheek softly.
God, he wanted to roll his face into that warm touch, but he resisted the urge. Maybe her pheromones weren’t affecting him as badly as he had thought. He just had to keep from kissing her again.
Sorrow filled her eyes, and she shook her head before turning away from him.
Confused, he followed as she led him to the door. “What’s your name?” Michael asked as she leaned her head against the wood.
She shushed him softly so she could hear into the room beyond. Her fingers traced runes into the surface as she listened.
He shut up. The mystery of her identity could wait until they were someplace safer. If she could get him out of this cell, he could get her out of whatever building they were in.
As soon as she had finished her design, the runes in the door flashed bright red. She stepped back into Michael as heat raced across the wood.
His hand went to her hip to steady her. Something down low throbbed, and he pulled her back against his body as the door turned to ash. God, she felt good against him. Okay, maybe her pheromones were working on him, but he could handle this. The urge to hold her was there, but it wasn’t the same unbearable passion he had felt earlier.
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, his dragon lady flashed him a dazzling smile before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door.
His training kicked in, overriding his desire. She was dragon, and he was Eternity. It was his job to protect her, no matter who she was. Stopping her short, Michael pulled her back against him before she could get through the door. “Let me go first.” He turned so he was ahead of her and eased himself past the doorjamb. No one was in the outer room, but something caught his eye. Carefully, watching for enemies, he crossed the room to a pile of discarded items—his jacket and gear. The guns were missing, but there was a collection of other things in the pockets that could help. He pulled the empty shoulder holster on before slipping into his leather coat. God, he loved this coat. Turning back to his dragon lady, he considered the curve of her bare shoulders and the weight of the biker leathers he had just donned. He really should offer it to her, but that would make quick access to his tools harder. Weighing the options, he chose to keep the coat; she could have it once they were out of danger.
“Let’s go.” Michael took up her hand and led her out. Peeking around the corner, he pulled her around and down the empty corridor. They passed through two more stone halls without signs of life. He was starting to think their escape would be easy when a man turned the corner and practically ran into the pair.
Michael snatched the man’s head and gave it a quick snap sideways before he could cry out a warning. He hadn’t really thought about his actions or his dragon lady’s response to it before he acted. As the body crumpled to the floor, Michael turned to take in her feelings. To his utmost surprise, she had already bent to the body to search it.
Pulling a gun and two clips from the man’s body, she silently
passed them up to Michael.
With a shake of his head, he took them. He should have known the death wouldn’t affect her. Most dragons, especially the old ones, lived by different morals. They were apex predators who didn’t mind toying with their food before they ate. Hell, if she were old enough, she had probably eaten a few mortals along the way. He pushed that thought away.
Leaving the dead man in one of the side rooms, Michael and his dragon lady took off down the hall. A set of steps led up. The window in their cell had been set high in the wall, so they must be underground. Michael led the way up the steps and stopped just out of sight of the next room. This was going to be an issue. The steps opened up into some form of barracks. There were several voices. He tried to count. Maybe ten or fifteen. He checked the one weapon he had. There were definitely not enough bullets. Turning back, he pressed his dragon lady back down the steps. They would just have to find another way out.
His efforts met with resistance as she pushed forwards to look into the room. He hissed a warning to her and tried to pull her back down the steps.
Waving him away, she lowered herself to the steps and inched forwards to get a better idea of what they were dealing with.
He tugged at her skirt, trying to get her to come back. “We can’t get out that way,” Michael whispered, “come on.” If they didn’t get off these steps fast, someone was going to look over and see them. Then their goose was really going to be cooked. To his relief, his dragon lady inched back to his side. “We’ll find another way out.” He started back down the steps, but stopped when she grabbed his shoulder. He turned to urge her on and was shocked when her lips descended to his.
Uncontrollable desire shot through him, and he snaked his arms around her back, deepening the kiss. Oh man, she tasted as good as he remembered. His body thumped as she molded herself to him. Obviously, she was just as affected by him as he was by her. He explored the inside of her mouth for a moment longer before rational thinking slammed into his brain. They were kissing just steps from the same people who had tossed them both into a dungeon. Ripping his lips from hers, he held her close, trying to regain his control. Her heavy breathing didn’t help, but the voices from behind her kept him from leaning back in to continue.
Finally, she sighed and nodded her head at him. She had regained control. Good. Dropping his arms, he disentangled them and went to step back. He definitely needed the space. Maybe he could quietly readjust himself as they went back down the steps. His pants had become uncomfortably tight. His dragon lady leaned towards him and snatched a quick kiss from his lips before turning back to stride purposefully up the steps, straight into the enemy-filled room.
***
Carissa heard Michael suck in a breath to stop her, but the warning he tried to shout went unsaid. He couldn’t. She had his voice. She hadn’t intended to let the kiss go that far, but oh, did it feel good. The touch of his hands on her back had tingled, like a well-placed spell. Her insides still quivered, but she pushed the thoughts and feelings back as she stepped from the stairway to the room. Michael was just inches behind her, and, if she didn’t get out there now, he would pull her back, ruining her opportunity to act. She was sure he wouldn’t let her try this if he knew what she was going to do.
The room fell silent as the men inside were startled by her sudden appearance. Carissa had just a moment to act before someone’s brain clicked into gear and all hell broke loose. Opening her mouth, she let the first strands of ancient langue slip out. She wove her power into the song as it rose from her chest. There were very few that still understood the words she sang, but no human could escape its power. She walked to the middle of the room and stood, forcing the magic out.
At first, she had thought her kidnapping must have been an error. No one in their right mind would kidnap her. Her brother would be furious when he found out. But now she was sure she was the intended target. The spells she’d woven on the water and door should have been very simple, but she’d had to pull out high runic magic to accomplish the tasks. Someone had warded these people against lower forms of magic. It made things harder, but that wouldn’t stop her. She had gone into this room expecting to find the same level of protection on air magic, but the spell slipped easily from her. Only someone that knew her weakness would leave such a vast field of magic open. You could do so much more with air magic, but you had to have a voice to use it.
Never underestimate your opponent. Whoever had kidnapped her had definitely underestimated her. Carissa turned part of her attention to the man standing, shocked, in the doorway. Michael. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do. If he hadn’t realized who she was before, he surely did now. Maybe if she were lucky, he would save his questions until they were out of this mess. Or maybe she should just keep his voice for a while so he couldn’t ask them.
Pressure in the air drew Carissa’s attention back to her task. There was a mage somewhere in this room, fighting back. She looked around at the passive faces. Turning a full circle as she sang, she looked for him. Whoever he was, he was strong. She poured her full strength into the strange words and pushed it back up the stream of power working against her. He let out a croak of pain as her power reached him and tore through his brain. That was one mage who wouldn’t trouble her again. Now, she just had to finish subduing the rest of them and get out of here. The first of her kidnappers slumped to the floor, unconscious.
It was taking too much raw power to put these men down. Carissa looked around as the last of them crumpled to the floor. Normally, she would just kill them all with a few words and be done with it, but whatever they had used to subdue her in the first place was still working on her system. It had only been a few hours since she’d pushed out of that curtain cocoon. Maybe she should have waited until tomorrow to try escaping. Too late now. She pushed the rest of her power out to make sure none of the men woke up as they took their leave.
Swaying on her feet, Carissa crumpled to the floor, too. She just needed a few minutes in a lower state to recover. The transformation should help her, but it was going to make Michael’s job harder. Hopefully, he was up to the challenge. She closed her eyes to let go of part of her control.
3
Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Michael’s brain chanted as his dragon lady stepped into the room filled with enemies. The first strands of sound hit him, and he knew. God, he knew who she was! How had he not recognized her? Who in their right mind would kidnap her? And he had kissed her! Oh God, he was a dead man. The king would have his head. On a platter. For dinner! He had kissed the dragon king’s sister!
Everything made more sense now. The gold and bronze of her corseted gown—the colors of the royal family. The fact she hadn’t said anything to him. How she spoke now was a mystery his panicked brain couldn’t wrap itself around. Born without a voice, she had learned how to borrow the voices of other dragons, but it had to be a dragon. He was most definitely not a dragon. Maybe that part of her lore was wrong. Maybe she could use anyone’s voice.
God, even her being held captive made sense. The king of dragons loved his sister with a fondness that bordered on unnatural. She would have made the perfect leverage to move the king. He would have done anything to keep her safe. That is, if her kidnappers had managed to keep her imprisoned. Whoever chose her as their target had made several very grievous errors—one of which was underestimating Lady Carissa’s power. With their escape, her kidnappers had just made the very top of the king’s shit list.
Suddenly, his pants were less tight. The king would kill him, too, if he knew the kind of things Michael had been thinking about his sister.
Swallowing back his shock, Michael watched Carissa turn to take in the room. Her eyes seemed to be searching for something, but what? He looked around at all the enthralled humans. How he knew they were all human was beyond him at the moment, but he knew it. Her song grew in intensity. He could feel the magic searching for something. It brushed against his skin like a purring cat. A strangled sound drew his
attention across the room as a single fellow crumpled to the floor, his strings cut. She had killed him with just her words. His eyes went back to his dragon lady. Carissa, he corrected in his mind. Lady Carissa, sister to the king. The most powerful dragon sorceress known to walk the earth. Her power rivaled even the king of dragons. Oh, he was so dead when they got out of here. Maybe Daniel could find him a nice hole to hide in for the rest of his natural life.
The strum of magic subsided as she brought her song to an end. Her voice was beautiful. Oh, how he would love to hear that voice, maybe a little hoarse, crying out his name in passion. He slammed that thought down with a quick reminder that she was the king’s sister. But it did nothing to relieve the ache growing in his pants again. He was so going to die with blue balls.
He looked around the room at the men. All of them were crumpled to the floor, but the few he could see were still breathing, so they weren’t dead. She had only killed the one man. Why not take them all out? It would solve a lot of issues.
There had been a rash of dragon disappearances, lately. After a long undercover operation, Michael had discovered this group. They had been kidnapping and killing dragons for their glands. The pheromones they produced sold for big money, but they couldn’t be reproduced in a lab. It had been his own bad luck that had gotten him caught during his mission. If he hadn’t gone back for that cup of coffee, he wouldn’t have run smack-dab into their hands. Why they just hadn’t killed him on the spot was still a mystery. Maybe they wanted to try to trade him for some of their buddies whom Daniel already had locked up. Fat chance there. Daniel didn’t make deals. Anyway, Michael was an Elite. He was on his own.
His attention was pulled away from his thoughts when Carissa moved. Horror filled him as she crumpled to the floor. He tried to cry out her name, but his voice didn’t work. She’d definitely stolen it to perform her trick. His heart squeezed when her form dissolved. Dragons only involuntarily shifted to their smaller forms in times of stress or need.